Shipping from China to Phnom Penh
China โ Phnom Penh ยท via PNH air / Phnom Penh river port ยท clearance by General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE)
We move freight cargo from South China into Phnom Penh through PNH air / Phnom Penh river port. Phnom Penh is capital, largest market and main clearance point, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
The clearing authority is General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE). Historical dwell on this gateway is around 3โ7 days, and it lengthens in SepโNov.
Duty, tax and clearance into Phnom Penh
Imports into Cambodia are cleared by General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE). The headline position is: VAT 10%; duty 7โ35%, with ACFTA and RCEP preference on a Form E. The de-minimis threshold is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: CamControl inspection for regulated goods; Form E for duty preference. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Cambodia: Garment and footwear inputs move under specific duty-exemption schemes tied to the factory license, so the consignee's status changes the landed cost materially. Used goods and secondhand electronics face restrictions.
What the routing looks like in practice
Sihanoukville takes direct South China calls, while Phnom Penh is reachable by river barge from Cai Mep in Vietnam โ often the cheaper option for LCL. Land trucking through the Bavet crossing from Ho Chi Minh City is a practical third route for urgent cargo that does not justify air.
| Air gateways used | PNH (Phnom Penh), REP (Siem Reap) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 3โ5 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (river) |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 6โ10 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Phnom Penh | PNH air / Phnom Penh river port |
| Inland leg to Phnom Penh | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3โ7 days |
| Peak season to plan around | SepโNov |
Pre-shipment checklist for Phnom Penh
- Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure โ it makes any claim far easier to settle.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: CamControl inspection for regulated goods; Form E for duty preference.
- Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (LรWรH รท 6000) โ the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
- Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Phnom Penh.
- Put the Phnom Penh delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front โ retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Air, sea or overland into Phnom Penh?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| โ๏ธ Air Freight | 3โ5 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| ๐ข Sea Freight | 6โ10 calendar days | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the Cambodia gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Phnom Penh and 3โ7 days of clearance.
Mode guides for Phnom Penh
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Phnom Penh take?
China to the Cambodia gateway is 3โ5 business days by air, 6โ10 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 3โ7 days of clearance with General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) and a same-day inland leg to Phnom Penh.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Phnom Penh?
General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) applies: VAT 10%; duty 7โ35%, with ACFTA and RCEP preference on a Form E. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Phnom Penh.
What certification do I need for Cambodia?
For regulated goods, plan for: CamControl inspection for regulated goods; Form E for duty preference. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.
What documents does General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) require?
A commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin where it lowers duty, and any product certification (CamControl inspection for regulated goods; Form E for duty preference). We prepare and file these as part of the service.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Phnom Penh?
Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965โ970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via PNH (Phnom Penh), REP (Siem Reap). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Phnom Penh?
Per kilo, yes โ usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 6โ10 calendar days by sea versus 3โ5 business days by air to the Cambodia gateway, before clearance and the same-day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.
Other delivery cities in Cambodia
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Cambodia change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling โ confirm the current position for your own HS code with General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) or your broker before you ship.
- General Department of Customs and Excise
- WTO โ Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IATA โ Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965โ970)
- World Bank โ Logistics Performance Index
- ICC โ Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
- IPPC โ ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
Page data last reviewed: 10 ๆ 2026.
Shipping by industry
This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending โ these guides cover that by commodity.
- Generators New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Ceramic Tiles Building Materials & Construction Products
- Paper Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Packaging Materials Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Laboratory Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Fabric Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Salon Furniture Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness
- Sheet Metal Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Compressors General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Electrical Cabinets New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Flooring Building Materials & Construction Products
- Plastic Products Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
Checking the Cambodia duty position yourself
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) against your declared HS code at the time of entry; where the amount is material, verify the current rate through ITC Market Access Map before committing to an order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name โ the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.
For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.
On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.
For a wider view of how importing into Cambodia actually works โ documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments โ the U.S. ITA guide to Cambodia customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Phnom Penh. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Sea Freight from China: How to import from China to your country via Ocean Shipping — SINO Shipping. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.
Customs clearance in Cambodia
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border โ plus who files the entry.
Cambodia clearance requirements →